In this poem and reflection, Tahmid Rahim uses different font styles to represent different speakers in order to communicate complex meaning in a relatively short space. By choosing to write one poem with multiple voices rather than three separate poems, Rahim is able to—as he notes in his reflection—“emphasize common themes.” Additionally, by intertwining multiple voices into a single lament, this poem takes on some of the characteristics of a Greek chorus expressing the unstated motivations of the play. The title, which emphasizes the island rather than its inhabitants, further serves to blur the boundaries between characters.

By assigning the final lines to Prospero’s voice alone, Rahim echoes Prospero’s closing soliloquies in The Tempest. Rahim’s Prospero, however, remains focused on the island and its occupants rather than on the play’s audience. Prospero’s final declaration—“Now, let us go home”—ties his identity to Miranda and Caliban, yoking all three characters in a collective us and leaving uncertain where home is, and for whom. Yet Prospero still gets the last word. Perhaps this is a subtle commentary on the impossibility of escaping the dominant narrative? By ending the poem without punctuation, Rahim leaves open the possibility that the action will continue beyond sight of the audience.

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